Spiti Valley (October 2024 and Jan 2025)

‘Always be yourself and have faith in yourself’, that’s what works with me when I travel to extremes to accomplish a dream. 

I visited Spiti Valley in the month of October 2024 to study how birding can be carried out there and the species that can be seen, the livelihood and culture of people staying there, homestays, facilities available in summer and winter etc. 

Pre-tour to do:

Planning for Spiti Valley for Snow Leopard in the extreme winters was not an easy job. The toughest part is the route that we travel and the altitudinal acclimatization of our body. People living in lower parts, especially the plateau regions of India do face problems when they travel to high altitudes. The dates of the tour were fixed in October itself and I simultaneously started the preparation. As my routine day starts with a proper 2-hour workout from the beginning I had just to alter a few things in it with a protein-rich diet. 

The clothing that was selected had a combination of well-branded companies such as Columbia and Decathlon. You may question is it so much necessary? Yes, it is indeed. The temperature drops down to -20 degrees by the time you reach the destination. You need at least three to four layers of clothing throughout the day and night. The layer that touches the body is the insulated layer that avoids heat loss through sweat when you trek uphill and downhill, the second layer is the thermal layer that may be woollen or any mixed material but not cotton. The third layer was my fleece jacket which was also insulated, so that if you open your outer protection jacket this layer will keep you warm. The fourth layer was my winter jacket which acts as a shield from harsh winds, snow and cold.

The most important parts to be protected are your hands, feet and head, the extreme parts of the body where the blood supply becomes less as compared to the central body when you go to high altitude. The same three layers are necessary. Never remove your inner gloves while clicking images, frost bites are very likely. Always take clothing and shoes one size bigger than usual when u travel to such places. A woollen bandana is necessary that will cover your ears, nose and face. 

Being a doctor, I always carry all necessary medicines along in the bag, so you will not face any issues at the airport to carry medicine. Some emergency medicines can also be carried out as it is very difficult to get high-level medical assistance in such places. Kaza has a civil hospital that runs 24/7 with basic facilities in it. I carried wet wipes along as you do not have bathing facilities, as the water freezes down and chokes the pipes. A limited amount of water is arranged by the homestay people.

Travel Time:

There are two routes to reach Kaza i.e. the place in Spiti Valley, one through Manali and the other by Shimla. The route by Manali is the easiest one which is around 200 km and takes 6 hours but is closed by the last week of October till June because of heavy snowfall. So in winter, we have to travel almost 600km to reach Kaza for the Snow Leopard Expedition.

My travel started by reaching Chandigarh at 7.30 am from Pune. I travelled down from Chandigarh to Rampur, Rampur is a place where we had stayed for a night, it is situated at an altitude of 3,350 ft. This helps the body to acclimatize at first level. A warm water bath was a must in Rampur that relieved the travel fatigue. Cleansing your body is necessary as next few days you have to work with your wet wipes only. Shifting clothing patterns to warm ones as we left from Rampur to Kaza. The toughest part of the journey starts here as it takes 12 hours to cover the path. It is not the distance that matters but the hilly terrain …We cross the Lesser Himalayan ranges, and the Trans Himalayas and finally reach the Greater Himalayas. Crossing the places like Tapri, Nako, and Tabo, we reached Kaza at 6.30 pm in the evening.

Kaza is the second destination for acclimatization and is situated at 11,980 ft. Stayed in Kaza for two nights. On the evening of 26th January 2025, I received a call that a pack of Himalayan Wolves had hunted a Donkey in Komic, the level of excitement was high. Woke up at 4 am the next day, and got ready with the clothing as it was my first exposure to cold and Komic is situated at 15097 ft. Picking up all the Gears and necessary stuff we travelled down to Lanza, where we had Masala tea with local Rusk at Lara Tsering's home, which was a warm welcome by him and his wife. We all travelled down to Komic which is just half an hour away, the time we reached was around 6.45 am and the wolves had left the carcass and moved away at the first light of the sun. We had to trek down around a kilometre to set tripod and camera. Meanwhile, the wolves travelled to the next hill that was covered in snow. We were able to see them moving. They were in a pack of 9 wolves, I managed to take a video of two wolves playing in the snow. Within an hour they travelled from one hill to another and became like ants to be spotted. We waited for the whole day, enjoying the beauty of the setting sun that lighted the peak of the snow-covered Himalayas into gold was mesmerizing. Leaving the place, we headed back to Kaza for a stay. 

The next day, Kibber was the final residence for the next few days. The homestay was warm and clean and had a view of snow-covered peaks. The room had a fire box to maintain warmth, an electrical blanket and a chemical pit to pass natural calls. 

As the scanners (experts to track the leopards) were all around for scanning the pugmarks and locating the Snow Leopard, we received a call about the early morning sighting of a snow leopard high up on a mountain that descended towards a cliff and vanished. Immediately heading towards the spot, the tripod and camera were set, it was around 10 am. All the scanners and photographers were waiting for the mighty wild cat to show up. We had lunch and tea at the spot as didn’t want to miss the show. Snow leopards are experts in camouflage only when they move, they will be spotted. At around 5.30 pm it raised its head, which it was resting on the whole day. It sat down for a while, turned around and again slept. A glimpse of it developed hope for everyone. As it was growing dark, we left for the stay. 

The next day there was no sign of the mighty cat, so moving around and clicking beautiful Ibex and Blue Sheep was the target. The herd of Ibex had descended and was pretty close for portrait shots, and while we were returning to enjoying walking in the snow a loud growling was echoed all around the cliffs of Chicham bridge, the dogs were barking continuously, and suddenly a silence spread. We scanned everywhere but there were no signs of the leopard, and the second growling came followed by the barking of the dogs. Maybe it was sitting somewhere on the cliffs and we were unable to locate. That’s what our scanner Dorje had informed us. The day ended with a mild snowfall, a warm healthy dinner followed by a dream to see the master of camouflage again. 

Early morning at 6.30 my phone rang, and I was told to get ready in five minutes, I gathered myself and the camera and in a short while I was out of the room, Mr Stanzin and the Porter, both ready with Jimmy, we ran off fast on the spot and we were the first to see them, surprise! There were two of them deep down in the gorge. As they heard the noise of vehicles they started running from cliffs towards the uphill. We picked up the movement quickly without wasting time we drove our vehicle to the other ridge of the hill, running through the snow was a difficult task but yes it tested your fitness level and I reached first on top of the ridge.

The tripod and the camera are set to record the action. And they, one by one appeared slowly on the snow-covered cliff, and the royal walk of the pair began, they walked through the snow so swiftly making their way, resting a while, looking around and again walking. Within half an hour they went through the cliffs and vanished into the deep, giving us hope to see them next morning.

The ‘Luck’ should smile again was the only wish as I was leaving back. I had already packed all my extra clothing, camera etc. And at 7 am I got a call “Jaldi chalo, camera nikalo, Snow leopard dikh raha hain.”

Without any second thought, I just took my tripod and camera and went out. Didn’t think I was in two layers of clothes with a single layer of gloves and socks. I left my jacket and bandana in my luggage bag. 

As I reached the spot and stepped down the freezing breeze pricked me all over, and the sensation of the fingers was turning to numbness. One among the pair of snow leopards that was spotted a day early near Chicham Bridge ran in front of us and the other sat on the stone basking in the sun boldly. Later walked down the cliff and sat inside the cave. As the time was up and I had to leave, the show had to end.

In a total of 10 days of tour, I was able to see almost five different Snow leopards, Ibex, Blue sheep, and Red foxes and collected lots of experience and memories staying at a high altitude in -20 degrees.

Do join my next Snow leopard tour in Feb 2026 to experience adventure and quality photography with on-field teaching.

“I heard calling her a quitter for leaving and as an aimless wanderer,

But not all who wander are aimless,

Especially not those who seek truth beyond tradition…

Beyond definition…..

Beyond Image…. Be the one woman”

Stunning natural beauty, Majestic Himalayan Mountain ranges, Lush valleys, and diverse landscapes Wonderful Photo expedition was conluded at Himachal Pradesh which was held during  25th to 31st May 2025. This tour was organised by @featherntail  under the leadership of Dr Poonam Shah. It was a group of four people. This extremly successful trip covered following interesting species. 

List of Birds: Red headed Bullfinch, Yellow breasted Greenfinch, Common Rosefinch, 

Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch, Gray crowned Goldfinch, Black & Yellow Grosbeak, Fire -fronted Serin, Snow Pigeon, Scaly-breasted cupwing, Koklass pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, 

Himalayan Prinia, Himalayan woodpecker, White-cheeked Nuthatch, White-collared blackbird, Gray-winged Blackbird, Chestnut-headed Tesia, White Wagtail, Rosy Pipit, Tickell's Thrush, Black Throated Tit, Coal Tit, Rufous-vented Tit, Rufous-naped Tit, Green-backed Tit, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Blue-capped Rock Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Streaked Laughingthrush, Variegated Laughingthrush, Blue Whistling Thrush, Ultramarine flycatcher, Slaty blue flycatcher, 

Gray Canary flycatcher, Himalayan Blue Tail, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, White-bellied Redstart, Blue-capped Redstart, Plumbeous Redstart, White-capped Redstart, 

Red-billed Chough, Yellow-billed Chough, Indian Blue Robin, Russet sparrow and 

Large billed crow, and many other common birds.

Mammals included: Himalayan Red fox with cubs, Pika 

- Poonam Shah

Leh and Ladakh

During Six hours of patient waiting in the scorching afternoon heat of Ladakh, I witnessed something I’ll never forget—my first ever Snow Leopard sighting.

It all began with a brief flicker on the ridgeline… a pale figure melting into the rocks. Just a few seconds, and it disappeared into a den. My heart was pounding. I managed a few clicks, but was not happy. There was a kill down the hill and we all wanted to witness his approach towards his kill.

For 2 long hours, nothing.

Then - he came out. Bold. Beautiful. Wild. I captured photos and video as he surveyed his kingdom with unmatched grace. He soon went into the cave.  After patient waiting of another hour, he came out and started descending the hill towards his kill. As he was descending we all were taking his shots, videos. He reached a boulder and slipped behind it and vanished again, this time for 1.5 hours.

But patience paid off.

He emerged once more—calm, majestic, and perfectly at home in this rugged, wilderness. For more than an hour, he sat in the open, before fading again into the mountain like a living myth.

This wasn’t just a sighting. It was magical and rare one!

The ghost of the Himalayas, right before my eyes.

Truly honoured to share a click from this unforgettable day.

Dr Poonam taught me on how to edit such shots… wherein the camouflage retains and framing makes difference!